The present invention relates to a vehicle headliner assembly, and more particularly, to a vehicle headliner assembly incorporating thin speakers sandwiched between the layers of the headliner assembly.
Vehicle speakers are typically packaged in a vehicle instrument panel, door, or package tray, and are arranged in a manner to provide quality sound to the vehicle occupants. Sometimes high quality sound is difficult to achieve because the speakers must be positioned in remote vehicle locations which require that the sound be bounced off the various vehicle components, such as windows, prior to reaching the vehicle occupants. It is, therefore, desirable to provide a vehicle acoustic system in which the speakers may be placed closely adjacent the vehicle occupants in a configuration which surrounds the vehicle occupants for optimum sound without requiring the sound to bounce off various vehicle interior components prior to reaching the vehicle occupant.
Efforts have been made to package speakers in locations which are closer to the ears of the vehicle occupants, however, such efforts are limited because speakers are generally large and, therefore, difficult to package in desirable locations within the vehicle.
The packaging of speakers in instrument panels, doors, and the package trays within vehicles also adds significant cost to such components because electrical hook-ups must be provided, as well as attachment and trim features and sufficient packaging space for receiving the large speakers. Therefore, it is desirable to package speakers within a vehicle in locations other than the instrument panel, doors, or package tray.
The present invention overcomes the above referenced shortcomings of typical prior art vehicle acoustic systems by providing at least one thin audio speaker (less than approximately 8 millimeters thick) in a position sandwiched between a plurality of material layers within a headliner assembly which is secured to the interior roof of the vehicle. The thin speakers used in the present invention are preferably the xe2x80x9cActive Screen Speakerxe2x80x9d manufactured by American Power and Light of Plymouth, Calif. Such xe2x80x9cActive Screen Speakersxe2x80x9d have previously been used as a speaker screen against which projection TV images are projected. With the present invention, these thin speakers are compression molded within the headliner assembly and installed in the vehicle with the headliner assembly.
In this configuration, packaging costs are reduced in the vehicle because the speakers need no longer be packaged in the instrument panel, door or package tray, and the various speakers may be positioned at optimal locations directly adjacent and surrounding the heads of the vehicle occupants.
More specifically, the present invention provides a vehicle headliner assembly for a vehicle having an interior roof. A headliner is attachable to the vehicle interior roof, and includes a plurality of material layers. At least one audio speaker is sandwiched between the material layers. The speaker has a thickness of less than approximately 8 millimeters.
Another aspect of the invention provides an audio system for a vehicle having an interior roof. The audio system includes a multi-layer headliner assembly which is attachable to the vehicle interior roof. At least one audio speaker is sandwiched between layers of the multi-layer headliner assembly. The audio speaker has a thickness of less than approximately 8 millimeters. A subwoofer is secured elsewhere in the vehicle to complete the audio system.
A further aspect of the invention provides a method of manufacturing a vehicle headliner assembly, comprising the steps of:
a) heating a plurality of material layers;
b) positioning at least one audio speaker between the material layers, such speaker having a thickness of less than approximately 8 millimeters; and
c) compression molding the material layers together over the audio speaker to form the headliner assembly.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved vehicle audio system in which thin audio speakers are sandwiched within layers of the headliner assembly.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved vehicle audio system in which the speakers may be positioned closely adjacent and surrounding the heads of the vehicle occupants, and wherein the speakers are not packaged within the instrument panel, doors, or package tray of the vehicle.
The above objects and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.